Food insecurity is significantly associated with CKM syndrome-related conditions among US adults, with very low food security associated with substantially higher odds of congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, and dose-response relationships observed across multiple cardiometabolic outcomes.
Approximately 28.4% of US adult respondents experienced some level of food insecurity (marginal, low, or very low food security).
Obesity, hyperglycemia, and hypertension were the most prevalent cardiometabolic conditions in the sample.
Very low food security was associated with substantially higher odds of multiple cardiovascular diseases compared with full food security.
Lower food security was associated with significantly higher odds of obesity, diabetes, weak or failing kidneys, and cardiovascular diseases, with clear dose-response relationships.
The likelihood of low or very low food security increased stepwise with the number of coexisting cardiovascular diseases.
This research suggests that food insecurity — not having reliable access to enough food — is strongly linked to a cluster of serious health conditions in US adults, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and kidney problems. Using data from nearly 14,000 adults surveyed between 2015 and 2020, researchers found that people with the lowest food security were more than three times as likely to have congestive heart failure or coronary heart disease, and more than twice as likely to have had a stroke, compared to people with full food security. Importantly, the associations followed a dose-response pattern, meaning the worse a person's food security, the higher their risk of these conditions. The study also found that having more cardiovascular conditions at the same time was associated with greater food insecurity — people with four coexisting heart-related conditions were nearly four times as likely to experience low or very low food security. Common conditions in the sample included high rates of obesity (about 41%), elevated blood sugar (nearly 59%), and high blood pressure (about 30%), underscoring how widespread these health challenges are among US adults. This research suggests that food insecurity is not just a social or economic issue but a significant factor tied to serious chronic diseases. Addressing food access and affordability could be an important component of efforts to reduce the burden of heart, kidney, and metabolic diseases in the United States, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Ernest D, Singh B, Hinojosa A, Imran A, Onugha E, Sharma S, et al.. (2026). Food Insecurity and Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome-Related Conditions Among US Adults, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015-2020.. Preventing chronic disease. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd23.250372